[Aylwen Dreamsong]

Jadae considered for a moment the offer of the Elf-woman. The travelers needed to find Angalos desperately, lest something happen to him that could be prevented. Then Jadae’s thoughts wandered back to Arethin and why he had come along. Arethin’s mother was sick, and the book that the Elf was asking them to give up could be the mother’s only hope. Jadae pulled Jack, Ari, and Anuion away from the woman so she wouldn’t be able to listen as Jadae went to converse with her companions.

“So if we accept, we’ve come here for nothing,” Jack pretty much summed it up before aught else had been said. Jadae nodded, and Arethin took on an alarmed look.

“We can’t just leave without the book,” Arethin said decidedly.

“We can’t just leave Angalos alone with Varda knows who!” Anuion retorted, intent on rescuing their fellow traveler. “I refuse to leave here with less people than we came with.”

“We could just accept her help and then find the book anyway,” Jadae suggested after some consideration. Anuion glared at the girl, and shook his head.

“That’s lying. You like to lie, don’t you?”

“It’s that, or leave here without the book. I’m not leaving without the book, and you said you wouldn’t leave without everyone.” Jadae replied, feeling quite clever. Everyone agreed to Jadae’s idea, though some agreed rather reluctantly. They turned back to the Elf and accepted her offer.

“What is your name?” Asked Jack, for the question had been bothering him for a while.

“Crystwen…please introduce me to your companions, since we will be together for at least a while longer until we find your friend.”

“I’m Jack, this is Arethin. The elf you’ve met…he’s Anuion. Jadae is over there.” Crystwen received a handshake or bow from each person in turn as Jack pointed them out.

“We know he has to have gone this way,” Jadae began, pointing to a large wooden set of doors a long ways down the isle of beds. “Or he could have gone that way,” Jadae continued, looking towards the hall that Anuion had sprinted through minutes before while carrying Crystwen. “But we know he went through the library.”

“Well, he probably wouldn’t have gone through that hallway, since it would have lead right back to the common room and through to the weapons room,” Crystwen explained. Jadae, as this point, was almost totally lost as to the direction they were going, and Crystwen and her explanation only confused the smith more.

“Not that Angalos would have known which way lead where,” Jack pointed out, and Crystwen stared blankly at the guardsman.

“Then do you wish to try the doors? They lead to the kitchen,” Crystwen stood up after a few winces from the sting of her wound, and began to lead the group away from the beds. Crystwen lead the group, and was followed by an anxious Arethin. Jack helped Jadae walk as Anuion warily walked in the back of the group.

[ April 25, 2003: Message edited by: Aylwen Dreamsong ]